Enhancing online exam security: encryption and authentication in Jordanian and international universities

Abstract

In today's educational landscape, the online examination system has become crucial, particularly due to the challenges posed by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Despite its advantages in expediting result dissemination and reducing resource consumption, online examinations face significant security threats like leakage, cheating, fraud, and hacking, which hinder their widespread adoption. This paper addresses these security concerns by proposing integrating advanced security algorithms and biometric devices. It presents a comprehensive literature review on existing online examination systems, focusing on their security mechanisms, and compares these findings with a proposed framework. Additionally, a questionnaire was administered across Jordanian governmental and private universities to explore strategies for safeguarding computerized tests through encryption and authentication methods. The results reveal that Jordanian institutions lack adequate security safeguards and procedural standards. Key recommendations include encrypting the question bank stored in databases and employing biometric identification techniques to enhance the security and effectiveness of student verification. The proposed framework aims to improve the overall security, speed, and secrecy of the online examination process, addressing the critical gaps identified in current systems. This research contributes to developing more secure and reliable online examination systems in higher education.